The Poets Of North Carolina: A Healer, A Student, A Teacher, A Transplant

For National Poetry Month, we talked with four different North Carolina poets about their work and their relationship with the art form.

Jacinta White, poet, and coordinator of The Word Project.

Credit PoetryHeals.com

Name: Jacinta White

Location: Kernersville, NC

Organization:The Word Project, using poetry workshops to help with personal and community healing.

"Often times people are made to come to the workshop... and there's always bound to be at least one person who says 'I'm here because I have to be. I don't write. I'm not creative.' Inside of me, I'm jumping up and down saying 'Yes! They are in the right place." - Jacinta White

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3:21

Jacinta White reads some of her work, and talks with WUNC's Phoebe Judge about how she uses poetry for group healing.

"Especially students, when we read pre-20th century poetry, they get go up in the 'Poetry is so confusing. It doesn't make any sense.' But the process of figuring it out makes you think. And that's what poetry is supposed to do."

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5:08

Emily Demaionewton reads some of her work and talks about the process of putting it together.

Joseph Bathanti, poet laureate of North Carolina

Credit Appalachian State University

Name: Joseph Bathanti

Location: Boone, NC

Title: Poet Laureate, state of North Carolina

“I was this unwashed Yanakee boy who came south who despereatly wanted to be a writer and I was really without having credential one welcomed into the ranks of North Carolina writers. It is just a generous community there is a not a pecking order or hierarchy I feel like there is not that kind of jealously, vanity.”